Holding On
by okitaco
Summary: "Are you really planning on playing that card?" She asked, eyes brimming with interest behind her black frames. His lips couldn't help but curve into a smile. "If that's all it will take to make you fall in love with me, then yes." [OC/Himuro]
1. Thank You

Chapter 1: Thank You

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><p>The Yosen team had no idea what to say or do. Himuro stepped forward, hand reaching out hesitantly towards the girl as she panted heavily. With one hand gripping onto the jumper of her classmate and the other on her bent knee pushing her up, she finally looked up still breathing heavily. Okamura gasped and others gaped at her.<p>

"I-I believe this guy was s-supposed to come to practice…" The tone of her voice clearly showed how irritated she was. Himuro blinked and turned his attention to his purple haired team mate who was calmly eating his potato chips. The expression on the giant's face was blank and even he couldn't understand what was currently going through his head.

"Um, are you alright?" He asked, helping the girl up and checking if she hurt. The blonde nodded and jerked a thumb back at Murasakibara. "He was skipping so I decided to drag him here myself, but as you can see it took a lot of work." She admitted, eye twitching as she glanced at the male behind her.

Murasakibara continued to munch on his snack, "Naka-chin, you're faster then I thought~"

She snapped her head back at him, teeth gritting as her eyes narrowed at him. "Atsushi, please don't be such a pain!" She hissed back as she patted down her plaid skirt. He hummed in reply and Himuro felt pity towards the girl.

"E-Eh? Did you chase him around?" Fukui stepped forward in awe. Himuro was the only able to force the first year to actually attend practice so it was surprising to see Murasakibara listen to some girl. She was cute too so that was an added bonus.

Nodding, she turned around to face the team properly before bowing respectfully and catching the players by surprise once again. "I'm sorry for disturbing your practice session so suddenly." She said politely. "Sorry for troubling you, Nakahara." Coach Araki appeared behind the Yosen team. She furrowed her brows at Murasakibara and groaned. "Hurry up and apologize to her." She ordered the teen.

"Eeh~ Do I have to~?" Araki frowned at the question and Murasakibara got the picture. He looked down at the girl beside him whose eyes bore into his own curiously. "Sorry, Naka-chin~" He sang before returning back to his chips.

The girl sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly. The apology was obviously half-assed and forced so she didn't take it to heart. Turning back to the team, she bowed again then adjusted the sling of the bag on her shoulders. "I'll be leaving now." With that, the young lady hurried out of the gym before anyone else could make a comment.

"Murasakibara! Who was that?!" Okamura ran up to the teen and stood in front of him eagerly for the answer. Everyone else kept quiet to listen to the reply from the large teen.

"Ehh~? You mean Naka-chin~?"

All the males nodded, some more energetically then others.

"Naka-chin is Naka-chin~" Murasakibara replied vaguely. Okamura's shoulders slumped and Fukui ran a hand through his hair. They were pretty interested in knowing who the bespectacled blonde was especially since she did just make a bold appearance.

Araki let out a breath, "Nakahara Miyuki."

All heads turned to look at their coach for a minute before Okamura fell to his knees. Hands on the wooden floors, his head dropped to look at the floor as tears rolled down his cheeks. "She fits that name so much!" He proclaimed and earned nods across the team. "Why does thou have to cry?" Liu looked down at the captain.

Fukui held his chin and looked towards the doors of the gym. "She was pretty cute too and she managed to bring even Atsushi to practice." He said and once again the team nodded in agreement. Himuro would agree himself that he was surprised when she came running in with Murasakibara in tow. It took a lot of effort to bring him to practice.

"Her glasses were cute as well." Fukui burned the image of her large black square frames sitting comfortably on her nose.

Suddenly, a cry of pain escaped Okamura's lips as their coach wacked him on the head with her bamboo sword. She pointed at the court with her sword angrily, "Stop fooling around and get back to training!" The team gulped in fear as they returned to their positions. Himuro turned to Murasakibara and saw that he finished the pack of chips. He was confused when the snack-loving teen didn't pull out another packet from his bag.

"Atsushi, what's wrong?" He asked. Murasakibara slowly walked over to the bench, dropping his bag down sadly. "Naka-chin took all my snacks…" He confessed. Some players had heard what he said and gasped in shock at such a bold move, even Araki had heard and was surprised. No one was usually able to take his snacks away from him without getting crushed.

Himuro raised a brow, "Is that so?"

Finding out that she had taken Murasakibara's snacks as well was the most surprising out of all things that happened that day. Araki crossed her arms and recalled Miyuki's scores in her P.E class. Her grades were high but she wasn't part of a single club in the whole school. It was a shame but at the same time it was lucky.

"Fukui, Okamura! Get over here!" The woman called out and the two jogged to her. "Anything wrong, coach?" Fukui cocked his head confused as to why they were suddenly called out. Okamura rubbed the back of his neck nervously, afraid he would get whacked again by the elder woman. Instead of a swift hit, the female shook her head. "Nothings wrong. I just want you two do something for the team." She said calmly.

Fukui and Okamura sneaked glances towards each other. They were guessing that the task she would assign to them would be inhumane and frightening, so they hesitantly nodded. The two were aware that if they decided to shake their head at her they were be sent to hell instantly. "Good, this shouldn't be too hard." Araki said.

"The girl that just walked in was Nakahara Miyuki. She's a first year in Murasakibara's class and I also teach her for P.E." Their coach said and Okamura brightened up completely at the mention of the girl.

Araki's eyes narrowed darkly at the captain who jumped in fear. "Anyway, I want you to recruit her into being the manager." She finished and the fear that Okamura just had washed away. Fukui blinked a couple of times having to let the task sink in. Okamura cheered loudly in pure happiness at the thought of talking to a girl but was met to his doom as the bamboo sword came swinging down again.

"Stop fooling around!"

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><p>"What years mark the start and end of the Edo period?" She questioned him, eyes focused on the history book in her hands. Murasakibara was walking beside her, finishing a pack of potato chips as he listened to her. "Ehh~ 1603 to 1868, right~?" He answered while he threw the packet into a nearby trash can. Miyuki nodded at her book, not even sparing the giant a glance.<p>

"Here's your reward." The blonde pushed up her glasses before opening her bag and pulling out a box of chocolate which the male happily took from her small hands. She turned to him with a look of mild distaste and shook her head as he tore the box open before stuffing himself with the sweet treat. "I still can't believe you're able to eat all that without taking a break." She muttered.

"Eh~? Because it's really good~" Murasakibara replied cheerfully.

"That's not good for you, y'know." Miyuki said, the corners of her lips curving downwards. Murasakibara replied with a crunch from the candy bar as the two friends continued their walk down the street.

Meanwhile, four males hid behind a large sign and watched curiously as the pair walked on ahead. The sight before them was so strange that Fukui had a feeling that someone in the heavens was messing with them. Okamura was beside him, attempting to hide his gigantic body behind a ramen stand's sign. His sobs and cries of how 'unfair' life was merely made him easier to spot and caused his underclassmen to shush him up.

The coach announced that there would be no practice today and instead instructed the four males to go recruit Nakahara Miyuki meanwhile. It was only yesterday that they had set eyes on her during practice and here they were stalking her under orders from their terrifying coach. Fukui scurried forward, ducking his head behind an overhead sign as the rest of his body was protected by a flag.

Himuro and Liu separated and the Chinese player hid behind a large tree tall enough to accommodate his height. The black haired shooting guard pondered about why he was even hiding when he could just walk up to the two and start a conversation. After a firm nod to himself, Himuro stood up resulting in some hush whispers of 'What do you think you're doing?!' from his teammates.

"Atsushi!" He called out and his friends stiffly hid behind their posts. Turning around, the two first years found him standing before them with a smile on his handsome face. Miyuki immediately bowed and greeted, "I forgot to introduce myself yesterday, but I'm Nakahara Miyuki."

"Muro-chin, what are you doing here?" Murasakibara asked, biting into another bar of chocolate. Miyuki sent him a look of disapproval for his disrespect but once again was ignored by the tall male. Himuro chuckled at the sight and offered his hand for a handshake. "It's seems you've been taking care of Atsushi. I'm sorry for the trouble." He said as she shook his hand politely.

"There's no problem with it…. Uh…"

"Himuro Tatsuya, and you don't have to call me senpai. I'm not really used to it since I'm from the States."

She titled her head, "Eh? Are you sure?"

He nodded and she smiled in reply. "Ah, so I'll call you Himuro-san then." Miyuki decided. She had heard about 'Muro-chin' from Murasakibara but it was different actually meeting the real person. From what she could see right now he was a very calm person.

"Muro-chin, how come everyone's with you?" Murasakibara pointed out, staring at the teens hiding terribly behind random objects. Okamura fell onto the sidewalk in surprise at suddenly getting called out while Fukui and Liu calmly revealed themselves. Miyuki her head to the side to take a look at the others and realized they were the same upperclassmen from the basketball club.

Fukui scratched his head awkwardly, "It looks like we've been caught."

"I told thee this was a stupid idea." Liu commented blankly as he walked over to stand next to Himuro and staring the blonde girl down. He wasn't able to take a good look at her yesterday because she rushed out.

Shrugging, the vice-captain also went to stand beside Himuro, black eyes also looking down at the girl. She was pretty short compared to them. Miyuki fidgeted with the strap of her bag not really knowing what to do until she felt a large hand drop onto her head, causing her to slump over slightly. She peeked up and found Murasakibara, chocolate stuffed into his mouth also facing his teammates.

"Sish is Nasha-shin." He said his mouth full. Everyone stared at him with a slight look of disgust before Miyuki jabbed him in the gut with a twitch. "Eat or talk. Choose one!" She demanded and his hand dropped to rub his hard stomach in order to ease the light pain. The giant nodded slowly and remained silent along with the rest of the Yosen team.

Okamura finally made his way to them, red in the face and wiggling around nervously. Fukui looked over his shoulder and almost felt embarrassed that they had such a captain. He blocked Okamura's vision of the blonde and smiled down at her. "Miyu-chan, how do you feel about basketball?" Fukui asked. Miyuki blinked a couple of times after hearing her new nickname but accepted it.

"Hm, well I don't have anything against it." The blonde answered, holding her chin and looking back at her past experiences with the sport. "Will thou be our manager?" Liu stepped forward and Okamura gasped at the straightforwardness. The bulky third year jumped up and grabbed the male by his shoulders, shaking him roughly. "You can't just act like that!" Okamura shouted, panicking.

A sigh left the ash haired teen at another look of his captain. Miyuki had jolted in surprise at the sudden interruption before allowing the question to sink into her mind. Himuro lips curved into a smile which she noticed straight away. "And that's why we came to talk to you, Miyuki-chan." He said, noting how she didn't blush unlike most girls he smiled at.

"Naka-chin is going to be our manager?" Murasakibara finished his snack before asking. He was well aware that he would receive another punch if he talked with his mouth open again.

Himuro turned to Murasakibara, "That depends on her, Atsushi."

The Yosen team glanced over to Miyuki, watching hopefully that she would agree to their offer. She was deep in thought, arranging the pros and cons in her head before letting a breath out she didn't know she was holding. Okamura gulped and the rest just remained silent to listen to her answer. Raising her hand as if she were in class, the blonde smiled softly and made Okamura's heart skip a beat. "I'd like to refuse." Miyuki said and the captain's heart broke instantly.

Murasakibara was the first to speak up, "Ehh~? Why not?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Atsushi, don't you remember? I've got to keep my grades up." Miyuki reminded him. The giant didn't say anything else and opened another candy bar from the box she rewarded him and bit it. Himuro knew the purple haired male was disappointed with just his actions and chuckled softly.

"If that's your answer then I guess we'll have to accept it." Fukui nodded and hit Okamura on the back when he heard quiet sobbing coming from him. Miyuki noticed this and looked at Fukui questionably, "By any chance are you the captain, Fukui-senpai?"

"What did I do to deserve this?!" Okamura cried out to the heavens, kneeling on the middle of the sidewalk and catching strange glances from bystanders. Miyuki was confused and all of the boys could tell she was with just the expression present on her lovely face. Liu merely looked away from the third year and pretended he didn't know him. "What are you talking about, Okamura?" Fukui went on, "It was because of your face she mistook you for a minor player."

Miyuki observed the buff teen sob in frustration at Fukui's words. They were harsh and it most definitely was not correct but she had already missed her chance to interfere. Instead, she turned to Himuro was now beside her, "I'm sorry but I'll have to excuse myself."

Himuro raised a brow, "You're leaving already?"

She nodded and right before she was about to explain herself, Murasakibara beat her to the line. "Naka-chin has to study for her prep class." He answered for her, swallowing his food. Himuro frowned at this. Most girls hung around their friends or played around at home to relax but the girl in front of him was spending her youth studying.

Miyuki bowed once again saying a polite farewell before jogging off, book in hand and catching the bus that had so conveniently stopped at the stop as she got there. Okamura, Fukui and Liu paused what they were doing just as Miyuki waved from the bus before disappearing into the vehicle.

"Ah, man… she left." Fukui didn't even have time to work his magic words on the girl.

"S-So it's over?" Okamura wondered aloud. When would the team ever have a female manager?

Himuro hummed as he watched the bus speed off. He looked at Murasakibara from the corner of his eye and found the teen waving his candy bar around as a goodbye towards the bus. Miyuki seemed to get along surprisingly well with the tall male. It was strange enough knowing the Murasakibara befriended a girl like Miyuki.

"Muro-chin, you look scary." Murasakibara noted, staring at the smirk that graced itself on the player's handsome face. Himuro hummed in response, cocking his head to the side as he turned to the purple haired teen. "Hm? You think?" He questioned and the boy replied with an instant nod.

Shrugging his shoulders, the male turned to the direction the vehicle left, eyes brimming with amusement. Liu having noticed this let go of a small sigh. "What are thou planning on doing now?" He asked. Fukui's expression transformed into one of understanding. "He's gonna use his deadly good looks to recruit Miyu-chan." The ash blond answered for Himuro, earning a shake of the head from said teen.

"I'll just talk to her."

Fukui smirked, "Miyu-chan should watch out~"

"I-I'll come to help too!" Okamura recovered and enthusiastically offered his assistance.

"If you come she'll cry just looking at your chin."

"Why doesn't anyone respect the captain?!"

"I wonder where Naka-chin bought this…"

With just one look at his team Himuro was convinced they needed a manager to help them out. Mentally.

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><p>She would be lying if she said he didn't attract any attention. His face was extremely nice to look at and his personality matched perfectly. If there was a word to describe how he was then it was 'beautiful'. Miyuki acknowledged that and wasn't confused when she saw him gain all the attention from the females in her class. Miyuki only returned her gaze back to the book she was reading. It had an intriguing story line but the characters made the ending very obvious, but that didn't stop her from reading it.<p>

Murasakibara was beside her, eating his snacks eagerly as he waited for time to pass. Study periods were for studying and she had tried to get the purple haired teen to actually look over some notes but failed. He would only listen to her if she bribed him with snacks and because of that he reminded her of a dog. Furrowing her brows, she tried to remain focused on the text but found herself constantly distracted from the girls in the hallway.

Placing her book down, Miyuki poked her desk neighbor and easily caught his attention. "Atsushi, Himuro-san is probably waiting for you outside." She modestly pointed at the open door that allowed the squeals float into the classroom. Murasakibara swallowed his treat and raised a brow. He was obviously confused as to why Himuro was outside, probably having not been warn about the surprise visit. He stood up and handed her a wrapped lollipop. Miyuki stared it in wonder.

"Why?" Was the only thing she could say. Murasakibara only shot her one of his usual lazy expressions. "Naka-chin, hold onto that while I talk to Muro-chin." He explained before heading out to converse with the upperclassman. Shaking her head at the treat, she placed it onto her desk and once again attempted to read her novel. She managed to get through three pages before noticing a large shadow looming over her.

"Naka-chin," Murasakibara stood in front of her with Himuro beside him with a smile on his face. "He wanted to talk to you." Her classmate merely stated before swiping the lollipop off her desk and sitting on his own chair once again to nibble on his candy bar. Miyuki put her book down again, turning her chin up to make proper eye contact with him. "Himuro-san, is there anything wrong?" She asked.

"There was something I'd like to show you actually." He simply stated, not even aware of the deadly glares the blonde was receiving thanks to him. Miyuki merely ignored them and titled her head to side to show her slight interest. "Really? What exactly is it?" Her black eyes had brightened up.

He chuckled, "You'll have to put your book down first." Gently, he moved a hand to place his own on top of hers, pushing down the novel whist carefully observing her reaction. She didn't show any sign of embarrassment and only looked at her hand then back at him curiously. "Where are you thinking of taking me?" She asked indifferently.

With a flick of a wrist, Himuro took her own hand into his and pulled her up along with him. Her black glasses fell to the bottom of her nose and he could clearly see her eyes widening in surprise. The back of her hair swished behind her shoulders as she was forced to stand up, pushing her wooden chair back. "W-Wait—!" She cried out before he quickly dragged her out of the room. Murasakibara was following behind, not even bothering to save his 'caretaker' as she was forcefully pulled into the gym.

Miyuki herself had no idea what to do. The girls they passed were as shocked as they were mad. She had a feeling she would be forced to deal with them later on and the thought made her cringe. Himuro set her beside him but before she could protest he placed a finger on her soft lips to silence her. He pointed to the middle of the gym and Miyuki noticed three people there one of them being the 'Okamura' person she heard the other day.

"Just watch." The black haired teen whispered with a smile. She did what he said and turned her attention back to the three boys that were playing with a basketball. Why they were even here was a mystery to her but it was a free period for the upper levels so that could explain some things. Miyuki decided to just do what he said and listen. Though, it didn't stop her from poking Murasakibara from beside her to stop him from making loud crunching noises.

"I bet it was because of your face that Miyu-chan didn't want to join." She recognized the voice to be Fukui's.

Liu was the one bouncing the ball, "I also agree."

"R-Really?! Do I honestly look that bad?!" Okamura cried out loudly, tears running down his face.

"Yes." They bluntly replied back without skipping a beat. Miyuki found herself feeling sorry for the bullied third-year. She didn't refuse the invitation to joint their club because of such a shallow reason. It was so that she could focus on her studies and she knew that it was very selfish of her. Himuro noticed the corner of her lips curving downwards into a frown.

"I'll join." She muttered quietly and the upperclassman missed it completely. He leaned in closer to her, "Sorry, can you repeat that?"

Pushing her glasses up, her eyes gleamed with determination and ambition. He blinked at her change of face as she stepped forward, bringing their faces closer without any hesitation. "I'll be the manager of this club!" Miyuki announced loud enough to catch the ears of the other upperclassmen. Himuro quickly straightened up and found himself graced with her newly discovered bright atmosphere.

"Eh? Really?!" Okamura ran up to them, tears having turned into tears of joy. Liu's expression purely showed that he didn't actually believe what was came out of her mouth. Fukui's eyes widened as he approached them, "You're not kidding around, are you?"

She shook her head, "You want me to join because I can handle Atsushi, right?"

All the males besides Murasakibara shot each other looks, trying to determine who had told the blonde about their intentions. Miyuki let a chuckle escape her lips, grabbing their attention once again. "I figured out myself. It was obvious when you decided to ask me after I brought Atsushi to practice." She jerked a thumb at the teen who was behind her, now sucking on the lollipop she was carrying before.

"Naka-chin is smart~" Murasakibara remarked. Himuro watched as the regulars gave her a little welcome and brought her into the gym with some protests from said girl. His partner remained by his side, licking the treat quietly before speaking up. "Muro-chin, you were planning this from the start, yeah?" He asked.

Himuro wasn't surprised at the fact that Murasakibara had noticed. The teen was more observant then he looked and sometimes noticed things that others didn't. He smiled at him before returning his gaze on the blonde who was now chatting with Fukui. It was a change that would spark something, Himuro understood that.

He relaxed his shoulders and looked at his hand, quirking a brow up at his palm before looking back at Miyuki. "She has really soft hands…" A small mumble escaped.

"Hmm~? Did you say something, Muro-chin?"

Himuro shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Don't worry about it, Atsushi."

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><p><strong>AN: Let's all face it. There's some fics were the OC just randomly decides or joins the team as a manager. There isn't anything wrong with that but it can get a little tiring, right? Here's my poor attempt of an OC joining for a specific reason.**

**I initially wanted to create a story set in Yosen High since those aren't really around. I'd say Murasakibara doesn't really get all that much attention but he sure is fun to write. I had to research a lot surprisingly. I listened to plenty of drama cds, re-read the manga and re-watched the anime as well, but there still might be some mistakes so please give me a heads up if there are any.**

**If you find any typos then please point them out because I might've missed them.**

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><p><strong>REVIEWS ARE SEXY.<strong>

**LONGER REVIEWS ARE SEXIER.**

**I SWEAR HIMURO IS SOME FIN****E PIECE OF ART.**


	2. Thinking

Chapter 2: Thinking

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><p>Himuro took the wide container out of her hands, taking a good look at the honey lemon slices she had kindly prepared for the team. Miyuki pulled out another one from her red duffel bag after thanking him for his assistance. It was a small deed but he could tell that it even just one container would be enough for her to carry. That was why be broke away from the team momentarily to help her on the sidelines when he saw her bringing out one.<p>

He knew that the containers gained the attention of the rest of the team. Some were looking at them curiously, trying to figure out what was inside. It was Miyuki's first day as the manager and she was already loved by numerous players who had only greeted her. The atmosphere was much brighter then it usually was when Araki was throwing them strict and deadly training regimens.

_'They called it a woman's touch, didn__'__t they?' _Himuro thought amused. When questioned about it, Okamura replied with that very sentence and for once his members agreed with him completely. It seemed that just having a female manager had encouraged the mean work harder. Naturally, the shooting guard had nothing to complain about the matter so he only smiled.

"Himuro-san?" He heard her soft voice call out his name. Turning to her, he noticed a slight look of confusion on her face. Her head was titled slightly to the side, her hair moving to the side with her as she locked eyes with him. "Are you alright?" She asked, a hint of concern in her tone.

"I was just thinking that's all." He replied, walking alongside her as they made their way to the center of the court. Araki had called out a break and all the teens were panting heavily, complaining about the harsh training in quiet whispers. Though, the moment they approached them they shut up and redirected their attention to the two containers the pair were holding.

"I prepared some honey lemon slices for all of you." Miyuki said, moving the container onto her left arm and taking the cover off with her right, revealing delicious lemon slices. Everyone went 'ooh!' and rushed over, all taking a peek at the slices happily. Okamura especially, was touched by the action and covered his mouth was his hand, trying to stop tears that formed in his eyes.

Himuro's right eye wandered back to the containers and noticed the large amount in just one. It was surely enough for the whole team alone but she had made an extra batch. "Miyuki-chan, you made too much." He told the girl, feeling sorry she went to so much effort. The blonde only shook her head and handed her container to her purple haired classmate who had immediately moved to stand beside her after she revealed the honey lemon slices.

"If I made only one batch then Atsushi would've eaten all of it so I made some for him. Oh, but I did make sure to make more then enough for the team." She said simply as if it were a fact.

Fukui, who had appeared beside Himuro, opened the container and took a lemon slice before silently popping it into his mouth. Everyone watched in anticipation to hear the honest feedback that the ash blond would definitely deliver with not delicacy. Fukui's eyes widened, "It tastes really good!"

That was enough for the rest of the team and everyone ran to take their own slices. Himuro held the container in his grasp tightly, afraid it would slip out of his hands and be wasted completely. From the corner of his eye, he saw Miyuki accepting a thanks from Murasakibara before he stuffed his face with the lemon slices. She sighed and scolded him, reprimanding the teen about his terrible manners. _'Atsushi seems to listen to her quite well,''_ He thought.

"It's good having a manager after all." A voice commented from his opposite side. Fukui has stuffed two more slices into his mouth, eating them quickly before reaching out for more. Okamura's face displayed pure bliss as he finished his first slice. "Of course! Nakahara-san is the perfect manager!" The captain praised, a small red tint on his cheeks.

"Indeed, these do taste delicious." Liu offered his opinion as he finished a slice. Now, Himuro was curious about the taste as well and probably wouldn't be able to take a bite until everyone else was done, that is if they decided to leave some for him. It was very unlikely though, knowing his teammates.

"Himuro, did you have a taste?" Fukui asked him with a mouthful. The teen in question was actually surprised that the vice-captain bothered to ask. He wasn't exactly considered the nicest person around the team. Himuro shook his head in reply and the male slid his hand into the container again, stealing the last slice before popping it into his mouth.

_"I thought too soon__…__" _Himuro thought, staring at the male. Fukui looked at him as if he didn't do anything wrong and walked off. Liu and Okamura followed him back to the court after they were done, the captain even gave Himuro a small pat on the back out of pity before heading off. The shooter shrugged his shoulders and returned to the bench, putting the closed container down.

It was all finished but it wasn't as if he would never be able to try some ever again. There wasn't any point getting sad about it. The teen joined the team once again and noticed that Murasakibara had already finished his share despite having a large amount of slices. He had expected it but it still amazed him. Miyuki was already back at the bench packing the containers back into her duffel bag. She noticed his gaze on her and turned her head to smile at him, mouthing a 'thanks' before picking up a nearby clipboard and focusing on the text written.

Her brows were furrowed and her black glasses fell to the tip of her nose. Himuro noted how her lips went back to a straight line as she continued to study the sheet, and how here black eyes brightened with interest at whatever the coach had given her to read over. It reminded him of the face she made extra slices for Murasakibara since she was aware of his massive appetite. The blonde was always focused on whatever she did, and according to her purple haired classmate she rarely forgot anything. She was so much like an adult that it made Himuro think twice about how he behaved himself.

With a turn, his gaze returned to the court as the next training drill was announced by Araki. The teen slid over to the side and grabbed a basketball from inside the steel cart as he let one thought cloud his mind for a moment.

_"She needs to loosen up a bit."_

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><p>"Himuro-san, is everything alright?"<p>

His chin tilted up as he turned to the familiar voice and as he expected it was Miyuki standing before him with a concerned expression on her face. He straightened up, rolling his shoulders back as he stretched his arms out tiredly. "Ah, well…" He dragged off quietly with an exhausted smile, motioning towards the pile of books that were stacked on the table.

He was studying for an upcoming test they had for world history class. He wasn't that confident in the subject and preferred math over it by a long shot. The names and dates were the things he just could never remember in terms of history. Shamefully, he was procrastinating studying for the past week, doing anything he could to avoid world history altogether, but now that the test was coming up in the following days he just couldn't ignore it any longer.

Miyuki sent him a curious look, "Are you having trouble with history?" The upperclassman sheepishly nodded and went back to his notebook. "It's something I'm not that good at unfortunately." He admitted, spinning his pen around with his fingers. It was peaceful enough in the library and Himuro knew he would be able to focus better if he were surrounded quietness.

The blonde raised a brow at him before taking the seat across from him. "You don't seem like the type who would admit your weaknesses so openly like that." She said, folding her arms on the table, leaning in to take a look at the books he took. Himuro titled his head curiously, "Is that how you saw me?"

She leaned back and scratched her cheek sheepishly. "You resemble the prince stereotype so I just automatically assumed…" Miyuki replied, her cheeks slightly red at her own assumption. Himuro only smiled back, "Ah, so you think of me as a prince?"

"Nope, that's what some of the girls told me so I just connected the dots." Miyuki answered back without missing a beat.

"Miyuki-chan, you replied a little to fast…" He said, feeling a little dejected. She only blinked at him, letting her confusion clearly show on her face. "Eh? What do you mean?" Miyuki asked as she pulled the top book off the pile casually. He shook his head, letting a sigh escape his lips causing the girl to send him a look before she cracked the book open.

"So, you're learning about Japanese history right now?" Himuro watched in awe as her black eyes scanned through the text as if she were a machine. She was reading it so fast that Himuro questioned whether or not she actually knew what she was taking in. "Since I lived in America up until recently I don't really know that much." Himuro confessed, flipping over his notes.

She hummed in response as she continued to read over the text. Miyuki didn't seem at all fazed by the work and continued to read through the book in a face pace. Himuro was somewhat jealous that she could easily understand. He sometimes had trouble reading the kanji since he was so used to English but Miyuki made it look as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

"I can help you if you want." She offered him with a polite smile. His pride told him to refuse because she was only a first year but his brain told him her help was necessary or else he wouldn't be able to participate in matches. With a strained smile he accepted with a nod and the girl quickly moved onto picking up his notebook.

"Great, I know this." Miyuki muttered to herself happily before looking back up at Himuro. Her eyes flashed of excitement and the black haired teen couldn't help but swallow the moment she beamed at him. "Miyuki-chan, you seem rather excited…" He let out, watching carefully as she dragged over the rest of the pile to her side.

She laughed softly and opened another textbook. "I guess you could say studying is my forte." The blonde replied. Himuro placed his elbow onto the table and rested the side of his face against his knuckles, another smile present on his face. Miyuki seemed to really enjoy studying and Himuro really couldn't understand why. Most teens would choose anything other then looking over notes and memorizing formulas, but Miyuki had actually said that it was her forte. It made him want to know how her mind worked.

"Himuro-san, you said you lived in America, right? Was there any reason for you stay over there?" Her voice came out in a hushed whisper after they received a glare from the librarian. "My parents were working over there so I just moved along. But Miyuki-chan, why do you like to study so much?" Himuro had to ask her. His curiosity was starting to reach it's peak.

Her face carried a surprised expression at the question. She began to fiddle with the corner of the book's page. "My parents are both lawyers and my two older brothers are currently studying in Tokyo University." The blonde explained. "It's kind of expected that I do well in school so I make sure to."

She looked down at the page, eyes trying to focus on anything besides the topic. Himuro's eyes narrowed at the fact she began to restlessly flip the pages soon after she was done talking. He knew he must've stepped on some kind of landmine and promptly decided to never bring it up in the nearby future. "I see, then good luck. Now, how about you help me with this?" Himuro smoothly changed the subject, pointing down at a practice question in his notebook. Miyuki snapped out of her trance and had to blink a couple of times before understanding the situation.

Another bright smile appeared on her face.

"As you wish."

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><p><strong>AN: /whispers/ slow start children. please remain faithful by being patient. ;D**

**It's update day guys. I say that but I have a feeling that something will happen in the future and I wont update.. D:**

**Here is chapter two and I have decided that keeping it in Himuro's point of view is a must for this fic really. The future chapters word count will usually be around 2,000+ words. And I must say that MY MIND IS BLOWN AT THE FACT I RECEIVED MORE THEN TEN REVIEWS ON THE FIRST CHAPTER. :O gosh, I hope I don't disappoint you guys in the end, especially since this series is really different to my other ones.**

**This is totally a slice of life series :D and im also glad that peoples are liking Miyuki. More of her personality was shown in this chapter so she's not that stereotypical i-like-to-study-and-i-act-like-a-middle-aged-woman kind of girl. She's motherly, strict but kind, calm, warm-heartred and caring.**

**I like Miyuki a lot. :) and she has a cousin. /shot.**

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><p><strong>THANKS FOR READING.<strong>

**REVIEWS ARE SEXY.**

**LONGER REVIEWS ARE SEXIER.**


	3. Lonely

Chapter 3: Lonely

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><p>Miyuki lived alone in a large and modern two-story house. Her parents were never around due to their frequent cases that required them to travel around the country. They were busy most of the time but never forgot to call her everyday to check on her. Her mother liked to worry about her, especially now that her two older brothers had moved to Tokyo. Her father enjoyed sending her gifts from the prefectures and islands he visited, majority of presents being food and sweets. Today, the package was from Kyoto and inside was a small box of tea leaves.<p>

She carefully slid the box out, throwing the wrapper over her shoulder to land in the trash behind her. They gave of a soothing feeling and the blonde quickly moved around the kitchen to pull out the tea pot. Tea always made her feel relax even when she was stuck in stressful situation. The mere thought of sitting down to enjoy a cup of delicious tea was enough to make the girl calm down from anything.

After a couple of minutes of preparation, the tea was finished and she didn't hesitate to pour it into a green circular cup instantly. It smelt amazing. She placed the pot along with her cup onto a small tray and made her way to the lounge, setting it down on the wide glass coffee table. Sitting down on the brown couch, Miyuki turned her attention back on the sheets she was previously working on.

The blonde had created a little study guide for the black haired player. After their encounter at the library, she felt that it was at least what she could do to assist him. He had told her a weakness of his and it was something that could be turned around in her view. History was a subject that required memorization as the main tool but there were only some things that needed to be remembered in order to succeed.

She wrote down a few more sentences before collecting all the pages and fixed them so they were stacked neatly. His test was only a test so Miyuki had predicted it wouldn't be as detailed unlike exams. It was a bit difficult to pin-point what would be in the test since she wasn't a second year. It was true that she had studied ahead of her class and taught herself some of the topics for the next year, but she wasn't taking the classes so guessing the questions took a little more research.

Now, Miyuki only hoped that the points she wrote would be useful. She slid the pages to the side and picked her teacup up, taking a sip of the hot, sweet liquid. The moment she swallowed, Miyuki felt a breath leave her lips as her shoulder fell and her back sink into the back cushion. She didn't even know how tense she was.

Maybe it had to do with her sudden enter of the basketball team? She had heard that their team was strong and with the newly added Murasakibara it was even better then she assumed. Miyuki was never a fan of sports, it was her more of her older brother's hobby. In fairness, she was terrible at any form of athletics so the dislike for it probably stemmed from that.

_"Ichi-nii liked playing badminton from what I could remember.'"_ Miyuki subconsciously held her chin with her hand, _"Ah, but he wasn't that good at it."_

The memory of her second eldest brother flailing around in order to knock the shuttlecock over took over her mind and she found herself chuckling. Compared to their eldest brother and her, Ichirou was much more flamboyant and ecstatic over just about anything. Miyuki's smile disappeared slowly at the reminder that both her siblings were living in Tokyo.

Her eyes flickered back onto the tray that held the brown teapot and the cup she held on her lap. When was the last time her family were altogether? Her chest tightened a bit at the thought.

It was kind of lonely.

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><p>"Himuro-san, here."<p>

The male accepted the pages whole-heartedly, thankful for her help and effort. She told him the day before that she would do her best to help him and the thought itself was very encouraging. Himuro smiled softly at the blonde before she said a polite goodbye. Miyuki walked off towards Murasakibara who had waited for her patiently. Himuro watched amused as she scolded him for yawning loudly as they made their way to their homeroom.

He turned his heel and headed for his own classroom alone. Grey eyes examined the first page in front of him. The writing was neat and the overall layout was clean, not messy. The points didn't carry too much detail but it was enough to understand. Studying was now going to be easier then he initially expected since Miyuki had so kindly outlined what she thought would be on the test.

Himuro carried himself up the stairs and went straight into his homeroom, returning greetings from his classmates as he strode in. His attention was fixed on the pages in his hands even when he maneuvered himself around the room to sit in his seat. Miyuki had written on several sheets and even provided explanations for certain events along with connections as to why it had occurred. It honestly surprised him that she put so much effort in a study guide.

_"She must really like studying."_ He thought with a small grin. The thought of someone enjoying learning such boring topics was quite interesting in a way. Almost every student around him would agree that studying was a present that the devils had given to teenaged humans. Miyuki seemed to think otherwise and encouraged any form of learning.

"Himuro? What is that?" Liu asked, stopping by the teen's desk and eyeing the sheets in his hands. Himuro handed it to the Chinese teen, allowing him to look over the notes as well. "Miyuki-chan gave them to me for the test." He answered, playing with a pencil that was sitting idly on his desk. His teammate read through the sheets in a fast pace, reminding Himuro of the time in the library with Miyuki. Was reading so fast a thing nowadays?

"Japanese history?" Liu moved onto the next page, sliding the other one behind. Himuro nodded, "I'll let you borrow it if you need it." He remembered the teen complaining about how annoyingly difficult Japanese was in general.

Liu shook his head and excused himself before dropping the pages back on his desk, and walking to the back of the room to sit in his seat. Himuro hummed in response and fixed the pile before slipping it in the compartment under his table. He made a mental note to look over it throughout the day and during breaks. If he didn't pass the test he wouldn't be able to participate in practice. Their coach was very firm when she said she would deliver divine punishment to anyone who actually had the guts to fail.

The thought of Araki's bamboo sword knocking his head made him flinch unconsciously, earning a few confused glances from his classmates. He sighed softly and began to fiddle with some of the pages under the surface of his desk.

_"If I manage to actually pass then I really owe her_…" Imagining her face when he delivered the news that he passed brought a grin to his face. Miyuki looking all happy for something would be a nice sight especially since she her brows were always furrowed, with her face carrying a serious expression all the time. Even when he saw her around breaks she was either scolding Murasakibara or sticking her head in a book.

The teacher walked in and told the students to get to their seats. Himuro sat there and listened as they did the roll call. Miyuki's expression would be something to look forward to alright. It would surely be amusing.

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><p>After practice, the players all went their separate ways tiredly, some slumping the shoulders and stretching in order to help ease the muscle pain. Throughout practice, Himuro began to notice that Miyuki had no problem when it came to the rules and strategies about basketball. Murasakibara had informed him that the girl wasn't that big of a fan when it came to sports so it made him curious.<p>

That was why when Murasakibara and Miyuki were about to leave, he joined them and asked the girl his question. "How do you know so much about basketball, Miyuki-chan?"

The blonde looked a bit surprised over the question but answered nonetheless, "I have a relative over in Kanagawa that plays basketball. He told me everything I know."

Murasakibara kept munching on his chips that were kindly rewarded to him by his classmate for working hard during the training. Himuro had no idea she had a cousin who played basketball but in fairness he really didn't know all that much about her except for the fact that she enjoyed studying way too much; but really, anyone could see that.

"A cousin? Is he going to be playing in any of the upcoming tournaments?" Himuro was honestly interested. He wanted to know if any of her relatives acted like her too. He pulled the strap of his bag over his shoulder, fixing the item so it wouldn't slide off as they walked. "Eh~ Naka-chin has a cousin?" Murasakibara lazily joined the conversation a bit too late.

Miyuki nodded, her hands resting inside of the pockets of her blazer. "I think he's going to play. I'm not all too sure since he's kind of pitiful." She replied with a sigh as if she remembered something unpleasant. Himuro saw cringe and couldn't help but wonder who exactly was her cousin. Before he could ask for a name she stopped at the corner of the street and pointed to her left.

"This is the way I'll be going. I'll see you two tomorrow." Miyuki smiled, waving at the two of them as she crossed the road. Murasakibara half-waved before letting the hand drop back into his bag of chips whilst the shooter smiled gentleman-like at her. When she was out of sight, Himuro raised a brow at Murasakibara. "Do you know who her cousin is?" He asked and the teen shook his head.

Murasakibara stuffed a handful into his mouth, "Why do you wanna know Muro-chin?"

Himuro chuckled, "Wouldn't it be funny if they acted the same?"

The first-year shook his head firmly and seriously, even pausing from eating his precious snacks. With another laugh, Himuro agreed with a nod.

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><p><strong>AN: I said I was going to update last week but things got way too busy with the preparation for my mother and brother's birthday party. Uwah, im tired. School is starting next week Monday too and I'll be in year 10. I'm feeling great that I've managed to survive so many years but also terrible that I'll be super busy with stuff like work experience and year 11 preparation.**

**It's a serious pain. So I was like, 'I should update before school starts~' and here I am. It's a bit short but please do be patient with their lovey-doveyness. Im trying to make this as realistic as possible. at least they're talking, right? Ahahah, and the cousin thing has finally been addressed but it's super vague. I love it really. Please make your guesses as to who it is. xD btw, I hope Miyuki's thingy at the start wasn't too dramatic. Really. All I wanted to do was give a bit of a feel of how it was at home. And there was initially supposed to be a texting thing happening with her cousin but I thought I should be evil and let your minds die from curiosity. this chapter is a bit boring but please bear with me. i have no idea when i'll update next because of school but i am trying for next week. :)**

**I'm working on a bunch of new series for 2015 along with the plans for 'What A Lucky Strike'. 'Observations' will be rewritten due to the fact I really didn't like how I put my words together, along with some of the earlier chapters of 'What A Lucky Strike'. Currently, in my drafts I have the chapter 1 of a MIYAJIXOC story getting written but I'm currently not too sure about it getting published. Your thoughts about it would be lovely. :)**

**If you check on my profile there are the plans/drafts that maybe subject to change. I've got things going around my head for making a Katekyo Hitman Reborn fic and yeah. So any story suggestions and ideas would be great so please PM me if you've got any!**

**Ps. Sorry if there are any small mistakes.**

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><p><strong>THANKS FOR READING.<strong>

**REVIEWS ARE SEXY.**

**LONGER REVIEWS ARE SEXIER.**

**HAHA. HER COUSIN.**


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